Appleby, the world’s largest provider of offshore legal, fiduciary and administration services, is expanding its litigation and insolvency capabilities in Asia with the formation of a new team, based in the firm’s Hong Kong office, dedicated to serving the offshore litigation needs of clients throughout Asia.

From early July, Appleby clients will be able to access on the ground litigation and insolvency advice and resources as Partner, Eliot Simpson and Senior Associate, Joanne Collett relocate to Asia to set up the new team.

Appleby Litigation and Insolvency Practice Group Head, Andrew Bolton said: “Asia provides significant opportunities for the Group and it is a central part of our strategy to grow the business here.

“The continued popularity of structures set up in the various jurisdictions where we operate, coupled with an increasing confidence on the part of Asia-based clients in the dispute resolution processes of those jurisdictions, have led to a marked increase in litigation and insolvency-related work from the region.  Consequently, our clients need us to have a presence there.”

Appleby’s Hong Kong office Managing Partner, Frances Woo, added: “We are delighted that Eliot and Joanne will be joining our established and experienced teams across other practice areas in Hong Kong.  Together they bring over 27 years of combined experience in commercial dispute resolution, insolvency and restructuring to our team which is dedicated to delivering the highest standards of service to our clients in Asia and worldwide.”

Eliot Simpson joined Appleby in 2008 as a Partner and has since then led the firm’s British Virgin Islands Litigation & Insolvency Practice Group. He has particularly wide-ranging offshore litigation experience, having practised in the Cayman Islands and Jersey as well as the British Virgin Islands, and being locally qualified in all three jurisdictions.  Before moving offshore he gained eight years’ experience in the City of London with ‘magic circle’ firm Clifford Chance.  His current role as head of the BVI litigation practice will be assumed by Andrew Willins.

Joanne Collett is relocating from the Cayman Islands, where she represents clients in contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, and in commercial disputes. Before joining Appleby in 2010, Joanne practised with leading firms in Australia for five years before joining in the financial restructuring group of New York law firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy where, in addition to passing the New York Bar, she worked on a number of prominent matters, including the historic Lehman Brothers Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.